Testing the electrical system

Its slow going learning how to use this system (must be Oldtimer’s Disease). The system seems to be working OK with the default setting’s set up by Chris. I’m learning to pay attention to what the LCD screens are trying to tell me. I hope I can learn this stuff before I fry something or ruin my batteries.

I have been experimenting with different situations like dropping shore power to simulate dry camping, running the refrigerator on inverter 120 all night to see what that load does, turning off the inverter to see how well the solar system charges the batteries, etc.

Unfortunately, I am parked under pine trees that shade the solar panels most of the day. They only get direct sunlight for about one hour a day so it is difficult to determine how well the solar array will function in full sunlight. So full testing will have to wait until I move the rig somewhere out of the shade. All in all, my impression is that the system will be adequate for my needs; it better be for the amount of money I have invested. Even in the shade, the system seems to cover the amount of power I normally consume (Vaio notebook, satellite modem, DirecTV receiver, wireless router and cell phone charger) and also charge the batteries. But in the shade, the battery voltage does not rise high enough to trigger absorb and float stages using just the solar array. I have to use shore power and the charger function of the inverter/charger to top off the batteries.

One thing I think that I would like to implement is some kind of warning system that will alert me when the batteries have dropped below a certain level. The inverter and the charge controller both allow for activating an auxiliary output circuit when certain conditions exist. It seems to me that a small LED light and/or buzzer could be turned on when the battery’s voltage reaches a certain point while dry camping without an automatic generator or access to grid power. I would think that I should be able to find something that will work at Radio Shack. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions?

I just learned that the some of the LEDs on the inverter charger indicate the status of the batteries according to the following:

Green LED indicates the voltage of the batteries is 12.5 or higher. Yellow LED indicates the voltage is 11.5 to 12.5. Red LED indicates 11.5 or lower. This is better than nothing but it means I have to get off my butt and go look at the inverter which is probably a good thing to get some exercise.

The Solar Project is finished.

Chris of Solar Wind Works finished the installation around 6 PM yesterday. Now I have to figure out how to use this system. I don’t think I have to do much right away because Chris set the system up with default settings. I do have to figure out what the LCD screens are telling me about how the system is functioning. Chris liked doing this job because it was unique and compact. Although he has done RV solar installations in the past, this is the most powerful RV system he has installed. He usually does wind turbine and large solar systems for homes up here in the Sierras.

I stayed over night in the rig last night and started the first test of the system which is still going on. I disconnected shore power last night around 8 PM. Then I watched DirecTV on my Vaio until about 11 PM. The refrigerator was running on 120 generated by the inverter charger all night. Around 7 AM I awakened and heard some clicks from the MX-60 as it started scanning the solar panels to figure out when it should enter the MPPT stage and start charging the batteries. Around 8:30 AM, the panels started getting enough sun so that the MX-60 started charging the batteries. The reading for the batteries right now as I write this at 8:50 AM is 12.2 volts.

Mate 2

This shot shows the Mate 2 system controller mounted on the side of the cabinet. Above you can see the side of the E panel with switches and circuit breakers. The inverter/charger is mounted on the cover of the E panel but is difficult to see because it is black.

Inverter installed

The inverter/charger is mounted on the cover of the Midnight E panel and the cover is in place.

Inverter cover off

The installation of the inverter/charger is almost finished.

Chris of Solar Wind Works

Chris Worcester designed and supervised the solar panel installation. The Solar Wind Works web site is at:

http://solarwindworks.com/index.htm

From the escape hatch

Here's another shot for Juan Calypso. Too bad it's not Patron.

Solar panel bracket

Close up of one of the solar panel brackets. The bracket was screwed to the roof and covered with the sealant "Lexel" available at hardware stores.

Trash bag hook

Detail of a trash bag hook.

Trash bag hooks

Made from a coat hanger, these hooks hold a plastic bag hanging on the oven handle.

Door holder

Close up of the door holder.

Bathroom Door holder

Here is the door holder made from a wire hanger holding the bathroom door open.

Stove cover hangers

Detail of the Stove cover hangers.

Stove cover holders

The hangers hold up the folding stove cover so that it can be utilized to hold small items like spices.

Fun with Coat Hangers

Coat hangers come in handy sometimes. With a wire cutter you can make some handy items. I made some hooks that hang on the door to the oven and hold a plastic grocery bag for trash.

The rig right now is not quite level and the bathroom door will not stay open when I want it to so I made a door holder that hooks on the railing of the over cab bed platform and holds the door open.

I made some hangers for the stove top cover so that the folding top can be utilized as a small shelf to hold spices. I did not even have to drill any holes as there were already a couple of holes drilled in the stove fan housing which I used with a couple of screws screwed in about half way (not tightened flush). I then made a loop in the hangers that slip over the screws. With a screw driver I widened the gap in each of the front corners of stove cover so that a hanger loop can be inserted to hold up the stove cover to make a shelf. The hangers make a solid shelf that can hold the spices that I will put there when parked. The hangers come off easily when getting ready to move the rig to a new location.

I have received a couple of emails inquiring about how the solar panels are attached to the roof so I am uploading a close up photograph. The solar panels are attached with 6 aluminum brackets that hold the panels about 3 inches off of the aluminum roof. The cables are routed down the refrigerator vent.

At night up here high in the Sierras, the temperature is getting down in the low thirties. So it was pretty cool in the rig this morning and I thought this would be a good time to test the funance and water heater. I'm pleased to report that both are functioning as they are supposed to.

Today was a good day.

A lot was accomplished in the solar installation. The old 80 watt Kyocera panel was moved. The five new 130 watt Kyocera panels were mounted in a 60 volt solar array. The remaining two AGM batteries were installed. Most of the wiring of the Midnight E panel was finished. The old Solar Commander charge controller was moved. The MX-60 MPPT Charge Controller was installed and is functioning.

The 12 volt part of the solar installation is finished. All that remains to be done is to install the Outback model VFX2812 sine wave 2800 watt inverter/charger, the Mate 2 system controller, disconnect the old converter and make the connections to the original 12 volt/120 volt center. Hopefully this can all be accomplished next Monday.

The rig now has 730 watts of solar panels and over 600 amp hours of AGM battery storage. I think I have a new name for the rig, "Max Power", Max for short. Since the rig had already been modified with a Banks Power system and has those decals on the fenders and Homer Simpson changed his name to Max Power in one of the Simpsons episodes and I can identify with Homer, I think the new name is appropriate.

Midnight Solar E Panel wired

On the lower right the Outback MX-60 MPPT Charge Controller for the five 130 Watt Kyocera Solar panels is wired and functioning. Above it is the Solar Commander IV charge controller for the old 80 Watt Kyocera solar panel.

Solar Panels Mounted

The last panel is mounted.

Steve and Jonas mount the last panel. Notice the old 80 Watt panel has been moved forward.

Last panel and batteries installed

Steve and Jonas on the roof installing the last panel and Chris works on wiring the last two AGM batteries.

Fourth panel installation

Steve and Jonas work on installing the fourth panel.

Third panel installation

Steve and Jonas work on mounting the third panel while Chris checks it out.

Second panel installation

Steve and Jonas work on installing the second panel.

LD Roof

This is how the roof looked shortly after purchase in June 2006.

Batteries installed

Four new AGM batteries installed where the Onan generator used to be. The two old batteries above have yet to be replaced.

Solar Install Continues

The 6 6-volt AGM batteries were delivered today. Chris and Neil showed up and tested the batteries and the solar panels.

The batteries are MK Solar AGM model 8AGC2 rated at 200 amp hours at the 20 hour rate and 220 amp hours at the 100 hour rate. So the rig will have about 600 amp hours of stored electricity.

It looks like the install may be finished by the end of the week.

Cables exit LD

Cable Connections

In the continental kit. Notice receive and transmit cables for the HughesNet satellite system and the cable for DirecTV wrapped around the spare tire.

12V-120V Center Inspected

Chris and Neil checking wiring.

E Panel & MX60 mounted

Notice the window has been covered by wood.

Neil at E Panel

Chris at E Panel

Solar system progress

Chris and Neil from Solar Wind Works arrived a little after 9 AM. After I did a little talk on the HughesNet satellite internet system and DirecTV setup, they set to work on the solar system install. They had to leave at 2 PM to work on another job but they got the E panel and MX60 charge controller mounted. Chris informed me that there will be a change in the installation of the solar panels. After checking, Chris says it will be possible for the five new 130 watt panels to be wired for a 60 volt array instead of the 48 volt array we were originally planning. The original 85 watt panel will stay on its original charge controller as a separate system. The charge controller will be moved though to clean things up.

I borrowed one of their variable speed drills to drill a hole in the floor near the end off the rig in the lounge area for routing short cables to connect to the receive and transmit cables for the HughesNet satellite system and the cable for DirecTV. The short cables were then routed through an existing hole that had been used for the towing wires which were previously removed and exited in the continental kit at the rear of the Lazy Daze. The receive and transmit cables for the HughesNet satellite system and the cable for DirecTV connect to the short cables in the continental kit and then go to the dish via the external cover of the continental kit where the connector for the towing harness used to be. This arrangement allows me to coil the cables around the spare tire when getting ready to move on the road.

Gary by Cell

Here is a self portrait taken with the cell phone held at arm's length.

Rig by Cell

Here is the first photo I took with the Motorola V325 cell phone.

Cell Phone Fun

Yesterday Chris from Solar Wind Works didn't show up until about 5:30 PM so no new work got done on the solar installation. He had to go to Reno to pick up an item shipped from Scotland and US Customs made him jump through a few hoops. So the only thing that happened while he was here was we unloaded the solar panels and stored them in the garage. Chris says he plans on being here around 9 AM on Monday. We will see about that.

I'm still learning how to use my new Motorola V325 cell phone so I decided to take some pictures with it. I was mainly interested in checking the quality of the photos taken by the cell phone. The quality is about what I expected, not too bad but not as good as my Olympus camera. So here are the pictures taken by the cell phone.

Inverter-charger location

This is where the inverter/charger will be installed.

Magazine Rack

The Lazy Daze magazine rack has been re-located to the lounge area.

The solar system installation starts.

The day before yesterday, FedEx delivered my Motorola V325 Verizon cell phone and Mobile Office Kit with a USB data cable. Most of yesterday I spent installing software, learning how to use the phone and hacking the phone to enable functions that Verizon had disabled. Verizon disables OBEX data transfer so that the customer is forced to use Verizon services to get ring tones, wallpaper, etc. at extra cost. To get photographs off the cell phone, Verizon makes you have to email them as an attachment at 25 cents per email (plus connect minutes). The bottom line is I was successful and can now use the cell phone as a modem for back up internet access and upload and download pictures and sound files between my Vaio and the cell phone. So this morning I called and discontinued my local land line telephone and DSL service. I hate paying for duplicate services.

The guys from Solar Wind Works showed up yesterday to begin the installation of the solar system. Some of the required parts have not yet been delivered so it is not clear when the installation will be complete. It was decided that the E panel and inverter/charger will be installed on some new wood which will cover the window and on top of the cabinet next to the door of the rig. So we got some wood from the cabinet maker who installed the pantry and door for the cabinet where the microwave was located and I stained it to match the pantry. This location is close to the batteries but it will obscure the window. Due to the size and weight of the E panel with the inverter/charger this is the safest location. The Lazy Daze magazine rack has been moved to the rear lounge area. I will upload some pictures.

The guys from Solar Wind Works have been delayed but I expect them soon to continue the installation.

Internet via Cell Phone

I made a decision on a cell phone and service provider. I finally checked the Yahoo group “InternetbyCellPhone”. I should have checked this group a long time ago. It would have saved me several hours of researching this topic on my own. In this group in the files section there is a document entitled “VERIZON CONNECTIVITY TUTORIAL” which covers the subject and even recommends which cell phones which will work as modems. My main reason for getting a cell phone is for emergencies. I also want the phone to be able to be used as a modem as a backup to my satellite internet system. I also plan to connect to the internet via cell phone when I am in an urban situation when setting up the satellite dish is not wise or convenient and there is no reachable WiFi hot spot.

The phone I settled on is the Motorola V325. This phone does not have Bluetooth which I wanted but it is a “Tri-mode” phone which means it can connect on analog or digital cell phone towers. This is a good thing for RVers because you may get stuck somewhere in the boonies where there are only analog towers. I think for internet connectivity you will still need to be in an area with a digital connection. This phone can be hacked if need be to re-activate abilities that Verizon has de-activated.

The phone is free when you sign up for a two year contract for service from Verizon. I probably will augment this cell phone system with a Wilson Trucker external antenna and maybe the Dual Band Cellular Amplifier. Here is a link if you are interested:

http://www.primecellular.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=199

I am also thinking of getting a WiFi external antenna and/or amplifier to aid in getting on line via a WiFi hot spot. Does any one have any recommendations on products to accomplish this?

Getting Ready - Part 8

Lately I have been trying to figure out what cell phone and cell phone service provider to get. I’m about ready to make that purchase so I can learn how to use the phone and let people know my new contact number. Then I can cancel my land line service and DSL. I don’t like paying for duplicate services. I just canceled my cable TV service yesterday.

I had decided to get Verizon and a Motorola e815 cell phone. The e815 has been out for about two years and I guess it’s getting to be old technology because when I decided to go ahead and order it, it is no longer available. The reason I wanted that phone is because it has Bluetooth and can be used as a modem wirelessly for the Vaio. As ordered from Verizon, that function is disabled because Verizon wants the user to use their data plan at around $80 per month. However, dialup can be re-activated by hacking the phone and that information is out there on the internet. Verizon has also disabled wireless Bluetooth data transfers between the phone and a Bluetooth computer. But that can be re-activated with hacking also. Verizon wants users to pay for ring tones. With data transfer, ring tones, photos, etc. can be easily transferred back and forth between the phone and computer. I really don’t foresee installing my own ring tones but I do think I would want to wirelessly synch my contacts information in Outlook 2003 on the Vaio. So since that phone is no longer available, I am trying to figure out which of the newer phones that are available that can be used as a modem and allow data transfers without a USB cable. Some of the phone/pseudo PDAs like the Motorola Q or the Samsung SCH-i730 might work but I don’t really want or need all the PDA like capabilities and don’t want to pay for it. So it’s back to researching phones and cell phone technology. Does anyone have any comments on what phone and service to get?

We lowered the asking price for the house last Friday to $489 K. There have been three visits from real estate agents and clients since then. After paying $300 for the Air Medic ozone treatment to get rid of cigarette smell, my agent says she can still smell it so she called the Air Medic guy and he came out again yesterday with some heavy duty air freshener fogging machine. I’ll probably see him again because he left some equipment of his (by mistake). All this concern about cigarette smoke brings out the rebel in me and makes me want to smoke more.

Since I can’t smoke in the house anymore, I have been hanging in the rig most of the time so now it smells of smoke. I guess I should really quit sometime soon. There is a channel on DirecTV called IFC that has some good movies with no commercials so I have been watching some movies in the evenings. I recorded a 1994 Pink Floyd concert “Pulse” that played on the local PBS station. I had to go through some contortions though to edit the recording to remove the PBS pledge breaks. The Media Center OS records in a format called DVR-MS which is essentially MPEG 2 with some enhancements mainly to protect copyrights. It took some time and research to learn how to edit the file. I have NeroVision Express 6 which would read DVR-MS and write MPEG 2 files with editing but the resulting file was in 16.9 format instead of 4.3 format resulting in a flattened image (circles became oblong). So I finally found a free utility on line that would read DVR-MS and write MPEG 2 files but without editing. NeroVision choked when I then tried to edit the MPEG 2 file (I think it was a memory problem since the file was over 2 gigs). So then I discovered one of the Sony utilities included on the Vaio called “DVgate Plus” could edit the MPEG 2 file. So bottom line, after many hours, I finally ended up with a MPEG 2 file of the concert that looks and sounds good with no pledge breaks.

The solar guys have contacted me. The panels arrived but they are having a problem getting the “L” brackets for mounting them. Also they are trying to figure out how to mount the heavy inverter/charger on the E panel to the wall next to the refrigerator. I guess the circuit breakers in the E panel need to be mounted vertically to function correctly. This sounds a little weird to me but they are checking to see if the E panel can be mounted horizontally on top of the cabinet next to the door of the rig.

At Work

Or is Gary just playing? You never know when you're retired.

At my new Vaio notebook in the back of the rig.

Pantry

Here is a photo of the pantry from the outside. The pantry was based on plans published on Andy Baird's web site, "Travels with Gertie". See the link on the right of this blog. Some differences from Andy's plans are the wood used is thinner resulting in more space and less weight. The shelves have wood pieces to to keep the contents in instead of the hanger wire that Andy used. The latch is different. The mirror was moved and installed on the bathroom door.

I'll take another photo of the inside of the pantry when I have it stocked with food. I'm thinking of adding a fold up hook to the pantry door to hang a jacket there or I may decide to put a poster on the door.

Gary with LD

Here is a photo of me and the rig on 8-9-2006.

Cabinet Door

I haven't uploaded photos lately so here are some photos I took today.

I have been having some problems uploading photos using the software that Blogger provides so I tried a different way of doing it. I first uploaded the pictures to Flickr and then sent the photos to this Blog using Blog This in Flickr.

After removing the microwave, I had a door made for the space where the microwave lived.

Getting Ready - Part 7

Yesterday was mostly spent transferring my web site "Gary's Mountain Inn" from my server to a web hosting site (1&1). When the house is finally sold and I am full timing in the rig, I won't be able to host my site on my own server because when moving around I won't have full time internet access.

I am having second thoughts about my decision to go with the portable Dustyfoot HughesNet internet system instead of the Datastorm automatic system. It sure would be nice to be able to get on line in five minutes and not have to deal with setting up the tripod system. Also when dry camping in an urban location like a WalMart, it will not be convenient to set up the tripod system. But the tripod system is cheaper in initial costs and monthly fees plus the advantage of more choices for parking the rig in one place and being able to place the dish in a better place to view the satellites. Perhaps I will invest in a WiFi antenna so it will be easier to find a hot spot to get on line in an urban location. Tradeoffs to any decision.

I still haven't made a decision about a cell phone. I think that I will probably choose Verizon as the provider because it seems to have the best coverage areas. I don't plan to use the phone much but it seems that I should get one in case of emergencies. Although if I get stuck in a ditch out in the boonies with no cellular towers within range, I could set up the satellite dish, get on the internet and summon help maybe using Skype.

My real estate agent says that my house still smells from cigarette smoke and wants to have the house treated by ozone. She says that she will pay for the treatment so yesterday a guy with a business called Air Medic set up ozone generators in the house. The treatment is for 24 hours and while it is in process, I'm not supposed to be in the house so I spent last night in the rig.

We lowered the asking price for the house and I hope that will generate more interest and a sale soon. I am starting to get anxious to get on with the process of getting on the road.